“Yes, my lord,” they chanted. Kazakov and Mersenne looked determined. Husayn and Mokgatle were uncertain. Corbigny seemed worried. None spoke.
“Let’s go then.”
The lieutenants, Martinez, Michi, and Michi’s staff marched off in a body to inspect the warrant officers and their quarters. No ayaca trees were found, on jewelry or anyone else. Now reinforced by the warrant officers, the party moved on to the petty officers’ quarters.
The petty officers stood braced in the corridor, out of the way, and did their best to keep their faces expressionless. Lady Juliette Corbigny held back as the other officers began going through lockers. Her white, even teeth gnawed at her lower lip. Martinez ghosted up to her shoulder.
“Is there a problem, Lieutenant?”
She gave a little jump at the question, as if he’d startled her out of deep reflection, and she turned to him with her brown eyes open very wide.
“May I speak to you privately, Lord Captain?”
“Of course.” Corbigny followed him into the corridor outside, where he turned to her. “Yes?”
She was gnawing her nether lip again. She paused in her champing to say, uncertainly, “Is this a bad cult we’re looking for?”
Martinez considered the question. “I’m not an expert on cults, good or bad. But I think the cultists are responsible for Captain Fletcher’s death.”
Corbigny began to gnaw on her lip some more. Impatience jabbed at Martinez’s nerves, but instinct told him to remain silent and let Corbigny chew on herself for as long as she needed to.
“Well,” she said finally, “I’ve seen a medallion like that on someone.”
“Yes? Someone in your division?”
“No.” Her eyes looked wide into his. “On an officer. On Lord Phillips.”
Phillips? That can’t be right. It was the first thing he thought. He couldn’t imagine little Palermo Phillips banging Fletcher’s head against his desk with his tiny hands.
His second thought was,Maybe he had help .
“Are you sure?” Martinez asked.
Corbigny gave a nervous jerk of her head. “Yes, my lord. I got a good look at it. I remember him running out of the shower that day you paged him and inspected his division. He was in a hurry to get his tunic on, and the chain of the pendant got caught on one of his buttons. I helped him untangle it.”
“Right,” Martinez said. “Thank you. You may rejoin the others.”
Martinez collected Cadet Ankley, who was qualified to stand watches, and Espinosa, his former servant who had been shifted over to the military constabulary, then walked straight to Command.
“The lord captain is in Command,” Lord Phillips called as he entered. Phillips rose from his couch to let Martinez take his place if he so desired.
Martinez marched forward until he stood before Phillips, who even fully braced failed to come up to his chin.
“My lord,” Martinez said, “I’d be obliged if you’d open your tunic.”
“My lord?” Phillips stared up at him.
Suddenly Martinez didn’t want to be there. He had begun to think the whole day had been a mistake. But here he was, having joined the role of detective to his authority as captain, and he could think of nothing but following the path he’d set himself, wherever it took him.
“Open your tunic, Lieutenant,” he said.
Phillips looked away, suddenly thoughtful. His hand came slowly to the throat of his tunic and began undoing the silver buttons. Martinez looked at the rapid pulse beating in Phillips’s throat as the collar came open and he saw the gold links of a chain.
Anger suddenly boiled in Martinez. He reached out, took the chain, and brutally pulled until the pendant at the bottom of its loop was revealed. It was an ayaca tree, red and green jewels glittering.
Martinez looked down at Phillips. The chain was cutting into his neck, and he was on his toes. Martinez let go of the chain.
“Please accompany me, Lieutenant,” he said. “You are relieved.” He turned and addressed the room at large. “Ankley is the officer of the watch!” he proclaimed.
“I am relieved, my lord!” Phillips repeated. “Ankley is the officer of the watch!”
As Ankley came forward, Martinez bent to speak in his ear. “Keep everyone here,” he said. “No one is to leave Command until a party arrives to search them.”
Ankley licked his lips. “Very good, my lord.”
Cold foreboding settled into Martinez’s bones as he marched to the ship’s jail. Phillips followed in silence, buttoning his tunic, and Espinosa came last, a hand on the butt of his stun baton.
He walked through the door into the reception room of theIllustrious brig, and the familiar smell hit him. All jails smelled alike, sour bodies and disinfectant, boredom and despair.
“I’ll need your tunic, belt, shoes, and your lieutenant’s key,” Martinez said when he came to the brig. “Empty your pockets here, on the table.” He had been military constabulary officer on theCorona, and he knew the drill.
The stainless steel table rang as Phillips emptied his pockets. He rolled an elastic off his wrist, one that had his lieutenant’s key on it, and handed that to Martinez.
The sense that this was all a horrible mistake continued to hang over Martinez’s head like a dense gray cloud. He couldn’t imagine shy, tiny Phillips committing a crime as serious as stealing a candy bar, let alone killing his captain.
But it had been his own idea that the deaths were cult related, and that cult symbols would mark the killers. He had begun this. Now Fate would finish it.
“All your jewelry, please,” Martinez said.
Phillips took off his academy ring with some effort, then opened his tunic and reached for the chain with both hands. He looked at Martinez.
“May I ask what this is about?”
“Two people wearing that medallion have died,” Martinez said.
Phillips gaped at him. “Two?” he said.
Martinez’s sleeve comm chimed. He answered and saw Marsden’s frozen face resolve on his sleeve’s chameleon weave.
“The lady squadcom was wondering where you went,” he said.
“I’m in the brig, and I’m about to report to her. Have there been any developments?”
“None. We’re about to finish here.”
“Tell Lady Michi that I’ll be right there.”